Recreational facility.

Details of Site Location: Hanlan’s Hotel on Hanlan’s Point on Gibralter Point, Toronto Island.

Boundary History: The property faced into the harbour near the tip of Gibralter Point.

Current Use of Property: The site was taken over and buried in landfill for the Island Airport.

Historical Description: The Hanlan family had built a hotel and expanded with an extensive amusement park. A ferry brought visitors from the mainland to the hotel for a stay, or for a visit to the growing number of attractions. Teams of Islanders played ball and developed a league, which then played at Hanlan’s. The first wooden stadium opened in 1897 and introduced the first professional baseball teams to Torontonians. The stadium hosted the first open-air theatrical performance in the presentation of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, given on Dominion Day 1900. The Toronto Baseball Club, owned by the Toronto Ferry Company, played at the stadium from 1897 until 1900. Lol Solmon was appointed manager of the Ferry Company in 1901 and took charge of entertainments at Hanlan’s and Gibralter Point in general. A close friend of Ambrose Small, he used his connections and brought in an enormous range of entertainments: sporting events including a 20-mile run by Tom Longboat, vaudeville, cinematographs, vaudeville, big bands, regimental bands in concert, slack wire acts, dancing elephants, fiddlers’ contests, whippet races, police games, political picnics, and other associations’ events. In 1903 the stadium burned down, and the baseball club moved to Diamond Park until 1907. Solmon immediately rebuilt the stadium, as the loss to the Ferry Company was estimated at $15-20,000. A second disastrous fire in 1909 destroyed the entire complex, including the stadium and hotel. Again, the stadium was rebuilt in 1910, this time in concrete. As the Maple Leaf Ball Club had returned to Hanlan’s, the stadium was named Maple Leaf Park. In 1923, the famous Babe Ruth hit a home run, driving the ball out into the bay. In July 1936 the premiere of open-air opera was made with the presentation of Faust. Plans inspired by City Council for redevelopment during the Depression years led to the demolition of the stadium in 1938. Air traffic had been increasing at the Island Airport, and the site was absorbed into airport expansion through landfilling.

Relative Importance: Hanlan’s Stadium is important as part of Toronto’s sports and entertainment history, and the history of Hanlan family.

Planning Implications: It is not possible to plaque the airport site and pointless to do so, as few would see a plaque. It might be better to combine the history of baseball in a single plaque placed at the domed stadium, and to commemorate the entertainment history of Hanlan’s Stadium and Amusement Park at a location such as Ontario Place or the ferry dock at Hanlan’s.

Reference Sources: Robert Sward, The Toronto islands; Goad’s Atlas (1884, 1890); City of Toronto Archives; Toronto Reference Library.

Acknowledgements: Maps Project; Ontario Society for Industrial Archaeology.